The charcoal burning method was developed from the everyday life in Nature.
It is often mistaken that charcoal burning destroys the environment, by cutting down the trees to make the material used for the charcoal. The trees in the wood do not grow well, unless people trim the unnecessary branches. While each tree is growing, periodical maintenance is essential for the mountain and the trees. Ubame oak tree grows in the Kinan-area of Japan. It is commonly planted in homes or parks as garden trees. After the war, majority of the Ubame oak was replaced by cedar trees or Japanese cypress trees, and it is now a serious problem on maintaining the supply of the materials for the charcoal. It must be emphasized that to protect the nature and the environment, the hardwood trees including Ubame oak must be grown. Growing only the softwood trees will cause the forests to deteriorate, and the environment of the animals living in the mountains will be broken as well. In the past, the Charcoal burner traveled from place to place, searching for Ubame trees, while they waited several years for the forests to grow back to normal after they trimmed it down. The charcoal burners knew how to read the growth of the nature and the mountains.
Characteristics of the high-quality cooking fuel "Bincho-tan"
A hard charcoal has a white color, and a shiny metallic surface. When hit, it makes a sound similar to metal objects. It can make a strong flame, long lasting heat, and its strength can be controlled by a single fan. It is commonly used for cooking eel, and yakitori. It has been known as the best cooking fuel. The outstanding grade of charcoal is derived from not only the charcoal making skills, but from the use of Ubame oak tree. This tree is one of the hardwood evergreen trees, and it is often grown around the coastal areas. The Ubame oak takes about 20 years for it to reach the quality required to make the charcoal. Almost one-fifth of the Bincho-tan charcoal produced in Wakayama is manufactured in Nanbu-Kawamura.
There are two kinds of wood charcoal, white charcoal and a black charcoal .
The white charcoal's flame lasts a long time, and it is commonly used for everyday fuel. The white charcoal is made by blowing air, and covering it with ashes to let the fire extinguish. At the last stage, the high heat creates the wooden surface to melt, creating a smooth, hard surface. The ashes attach onto the charcoal, creating the white color. The hard charcoal is known to retain heat well, and does not crackle, so it is often used for cooking and heating inside homes.
The black charcoal is known to be soft and easy to light. The black charcoal is made by closing the doors of the kiln once the woods become charred. Since it is easy to light the fire, it was often used for metal refining or smithery, but the most common place black charcoal is used, is in Sado (Japanese Tea Ceremony). In Sado, the handling of the charcoal was part of the manner, and many people has been researching for the best charcoal. |
